MANNY'S GONE...EH...OKAY...

It's been eight glorious years. We got two championships out of it. We finally shut up the Yankees. Brought pride to the ball club. But, c'mon, the love is gone. "The Sox don't deserve me." What the hell? Who does? I'm not really glad you're gone, but when you're a prick that doesn't exert himself when his team is being no-hit at home, find yourself somewhere else to play. It's not because you didn't run down the line, it's because you don't care. It's not because you're just yourself being yourself, it's because you don't know who yourself is. You have an incredible legacy, but when you open your mouth and out comes your bowel movements, we realize why you normally pass on interviews. Don't thank the fans and then slam management. Real stars play for the fans because they play for the love. They get over the hassles of management. It comes with the territory. We all wish that our favorite players can conduct themselves with pride and maturity on the field and play with passion and hussle every play, but the reality is that they're people just like everyone else. Manny's just a dude who likes being loved and when he's not, he gets pouty. He acts like a child. It's that same child-like behavior that made me love him. His "ignorance is bliss" approach to everything was straight entertainment. No one delivered a joke like Manny and he didn't even know of his humorous ways. His highlight reel rivals anyone in the league and his blooper reel does as well. That's what made Manny Manny.

But those days are over. Under the pressure of fed-up management and a sub-par Manny season, Manny melted and turned into the same cancer that teams like the Red Sox do everything to avoid. The Sox did what they needed to and sent him to a market that he couldn't refuse and took sturdy Jason Bay from Pittsburgh in his place. Greatest move? Nah. Best at this juncture? You bet. We might not win that championship this year, but we weren't really on course to with Manny. Jason doesn't have to be Manny. He just needs to play with heart and hussle. Let everything else fall into place.

Manny, meanwhile, gets a perfect scenario. He's going to a big-market ball club in a big metro with plenty of cameras and microphones to follow him around. He'll get to play for a lazy manager who's soft on players and, also, in retirement mode and, the best part of all, Manny won't have to exert himself to win the division.

Perfect. He can hit two more home runs this season and probably be the hero in LA as the Dodgers win the season 15 games under .500. Welcome to retirement. So long to championship baseball.